As a contestant on the first season of Fox TV’s Hell’s Kitchen, Elsie’s simple, no nonsense approach to cooking won her millions of fans and drew accolades from the notoriously hard-to-please, World Re-Owned Star Chef Gordon Ramsay. Elsie Ramos was born and raised in New York City in a large Puerto Rican family where she learned to cook at an early age. She was one of twelve contestants on the premiere season of the unscripted FOX television show Hell’s Kitchen. She managed to stay in the competition for 5 of the 6 weeks and captivated the audience. Although she did not win, her excellent performance earned her the interest of Publisher with Wiley who published her book “Elsie’s Turkey Tacos and Arroz con Pollo“.

“My own recipes were developed out of necessity—and desire. I became a single mother at the age of twenty-five with three boys (a set of twins and an infant) and had to work full time, but wanted to keep my meals as nurturing as possible with what little that we had. I became quite creative and resourceful, drawing on the tastes I grew up with, and the groceries I could afford. In those days it was all about the meals”.

After appearing on the show, she attended the French Culinary Institute to enhance her cooking skills and continues to get dinner on the table every night for her large Puerto Rican family.

Following the release of her self-titled book, latin chef Elsie Ramos has appeared in many television shows such as Univision’s Despierta America alongside musician Kenny G, performing cooking demonstrations. Elsie’s likeable and approachable on-air personality served her well as she quickly became the “darling” of the group with fans. In 2005, she was named as one of the “Most Fascinating Reality TV People”. Mrs. Ramos has appeared in various events such as:

13th Annual “Mujeres Descatadas Awards Ceremony by El Diario New York
The National Hispana Leadership Institute’s “2008 Latina Empowerment Conference
Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre’s Hosting Committee
Festival de Sabores – Orlando, Florida
Macy’s Culinary Council – New York City
March of Dimes
2009 Puerto Rican Day Parade – New York City
American Diabetes

“I’ve had a wonderful experience this past year with a latin kitchenware company (more like a family) IMUSA and the opportunities for the upcoming year are truly exciting,” says Elsie. The expanded partnership between Chef Elsie and IMUSA will include a new monthly blog in IMUSA’s website and monthly in person cooking demonstrations at national supermarkets, grocery stores and special events across the country. Con Sabor y Amor! which is distributed to over 4,500 key influential’s and fans domestically and internationally. Sabroso Sofrito” food product.

The “Sabroso Sofrito” food product is made of 100% all natural ingredients. This mix of spices is considered the base of mostly all Puerto Rican foods. It’s magical and unique flavor of peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro is spectacular. Elsie’s Sofrito is already in select supermarkets in New Jersey.

On the personal note, Elsie has established her own website (http://www.elsieramos.com which gives individuals and families’ access to come into her life and find helpful information such as recipes, stories, events, photos, tips and more! She has also managed to produce a monthly newsletter. For more information on IMUSA USA please visit www.ImusaUSA.com.

Tempura is the quintessential Japanese deep fried dish. We put a twist on it using Mexican beer to add a unique flavor. Try frying shrimp, sweet potato, red pepper, and asparagus!

Author: George Duran

Cuisine: Fusion

Recipe type: Appetizer, Snack, Lunch, Dinner

Ingredients

bottle of cold Mexican beer, such as Corona or Dos Equis 1

flour, plus more for flouring 1 cup

salt 1 teaspoon

large raw shrimp 6

small sweet potato 1

small red pepper 1

asparagus spears 6

vegetable oil for frying 1.5 quarts

Tempura sauce or dumpling sauce for dipping

Preparation

In a bowl mix 1 cup beer into flour. Then add enough beer until batter is smooth and lightly coats a spoon. There will be lumps. Mix in salt.

Make several shallow cuts across the inside curve of each shrimp and press shrimp gently to help prevent curling.

Flour vegetables pieces and shrimp and set aside.

Heat oil in IMUSA wok until it reaches 375° F.

Working in small batches, dredge each vegetables piece until they are completely coated, and place in IMUSA wok, turning often, until golden, about 2-3 minutes. Place on drip tray. Dredge shrimp last and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Serve tempura with dipping sauce right away.

Note: You may use many other sliced vegetables for this recipe including mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and turnips.